


what would you trade?

by Tobiko



Series: Welters 2018 [1]
Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Welters Challenge 2018, my OT3 feelings, they will all be together or so help me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 00:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14319951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobiko/pseuds/Tobiko
Summary: Julia and Kady go on a quest to save Penny from the Underworld, with Penny 23′s help.





	what would you trade?

They (Julia) had done all the boring research and had established with some certainty that if their Penny was somehow resurrected it meant that his contract with the Library was subject to negotiation. And they’d discovered that if they got Penny 23 anywhere near original Penny they were going to draw together and merge. Penny 23 has already accepted this, quickly too when Julia and Kady had been so worried he would decline. 

“I’ll still be me, the most important parts of me,” he had said in reply, looking intently at Julia and forcing her to look away awkwardly. Their strange relationship hadn’t much improved since getting their memories back. Even as Julia warmed to him the specter of their own Penny haunted, and the very real presence of Kady was another factor. Julia would never hurt Kady again if she could help it.

So into the Underworld Branch they’d go. Unfortunately Penny had tried and failed to astral project there so they were headed to the Hudson River dragon again. All of them had grabbed fistfuls of Brakebills artifacts and Fillory items, including a talking ferret who was willing to offer himself as a sacrifice in exchange for being able to live in a dragon hoard.

“Now for baby teeth.”

“I have baby teeth.”

Kady and Penny looked at Julia, who shrugged. “When I was Our Lady Of The Tree a few kids prayed to me for their toothaches to go away.”

“So you stole their teeth?”

Julia fidgeted, “I was being practical...”

Kady rolled her eyes and Penny looked bemused.

They paid entry and descended into the sewer. Julia had not missed the smell.

“Back for more, little godling?” Came the silky voice of the dragon as she emerged from the gloom. “And not with the fool this time. Some sort of knight? And ohh, a Traveler, those are always so tasty. Have a lot of flavor from all over.”

“We’re here to go to the Underworld.”

“Well, no duh,” the dragon hissed in boredom. “You mortals are all so predictable. You know I’ll need payment.”

“Yes.”

The three Magicians started emptying their pockets, the ferret said hello, and the dragon yawned. “No, no, none of that.”

Kady and Julia exchanged a look. “That’s what we have. Are you sure there isn’t something...” Julia started.

“Of course you have something. Just none of THOSE things. I’ll take your seed, godling.”

“My-”

“No fucking way,” Kady snapped.

“That’s not fair,” Penny said, a fire in his eye that was very Penny 40. “We brought a lot of good shit, you can have it all.”

“No. What I want is that seed. Take it or leave it.”

“Fuck you!”

“Kady,” Julia whispered, nudging her to try to remind her friend that this was, after all, a dragon that could eat them all.

“Let’s go, Jules, we’ll find another way.”

Kady and Penny turned to go. Julia didn’t, staring at the dragon. When Kady noticed she stopped. “Julia?”

“I’m thinking.”

“You can’t really be considering!”

“Julia,” Penny rumbled, but Julia shook her head.

“This could be our one shot. We don’t know another way, and if we hesitate we could lose Penny forever.” She didn’t miss the slightly wounded look on Penny 23’s face, but she couldn’t afford to acknowledge it.

“Julia, you can’t,” Kady said, coming to Julia’s side and putting a hand on Julia’s shoulder. “After all you went through, that seed is yours. It belongs to you.”

“Which means I can do what I want with it,” Julia said. “I’ve grown it before, I know the cost. I couldn’t pay it, last time. Even if I grow it as much as I did before, can I really say I could be a god? Give up my humanity, give up my friends? I’m not sure I’m that selfless.” Julia put a hand over her heart. “It’s mine, I know it is, but I don’t know if I could ever be what OLU wanted me to be. And if it could help you...”

“You can’t do this for me, Julia,” Kady said, alarm and fear on her face. “I’m not worth that.”

Julia smiled ruefully at Kady. “Don’t be stupid. We’re best bitches, remember? You’re worth it.”

Kady’s eyes were wide and bright with tears. 

Julia stepped forward. “You won’t use it for something bad?”

“Your seed? No, no,” the dragon said. “I’m going to eat it.”

“But.. you teleport things don’t you?”

“I’d keep this. That seed of yours will feed me a couple thousand years.”

“And removing it won’t take anything else from me? Not my Shade or anything.”

 “You insult me. I am not sloppy, I don’t remove more than what I seek to take.”

“Then it’s yours, for safe passage. 72 hours.”

The dragon raised a scaly eyebrow. “24 is customary.”

“This is a god seed. It’s anything but customary.”

“True. Very well, little godling. Though I suppose I will have to call you something else after this. Step forward.”

Julia stepped forward and the dragon put the tip of her claw at Julia’s breastbone. Golden magic bloomed and something bright and beautiful was drawn out of Julia. She gasped at the loss. Both Kady and Penny immediately ran to her side as the dragon withdrew her claw and placed the small brilliant seed into her mouth.

Julia hiccuped a sob. The loss was more than she had expected. She leaned against Kady.

“Delicious,” the dragon purred. “Away with you, now.”

Next thing they knew they were on an elevator descending into the underworld. Kady still held Julia protectively on one side, and Penny lingered at her other. Julia closed her eyes and rested her cheek on Kady’s shoulder.

Getting to the Underworld Branch of the Library took a little bit of subterfuge. It was lucky that Julia had been to the Underworld before and they hadn’t been surprised by the lobby or questioning what they had to do to move on. Looking as if she knew where she was going Julia was able to exit the building no problem. Finding the library itself was another matter, but after asking some very helpful dead people they were able to make their way to the branch.

They found Penny shelving books and looking fairly more happy than they had expected.

Penny didn’t get even a moment of seeing their faces before his essence and Penny 23’s began to merge, and suddenly there was one Penny before them, looking confused and awed and shaken.

His eyes landed on Kady and Julia let go of Kady’s hand as she watched the hope and fear on her face grow.

“Kady,” Penny rumbled, and he rushed to her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her as if his life depended on it. Kady folded into the kiss. Julia began to back away but then Kady’s hand reached out and found hers and squeezed.

When they disentangled Penny looked at her, smiling. Even knowing they would merge memories, Julia had just assumed Penny, their original Penny, would overrule 23’s feelings and give her one of those cold, hostile looks. Penny didn’t look at her with the absolute adoration he had, but unmistakable love lurked below the surface.

“Julia, thanks.”

“Of course.”

“No. Thank you.”

With Kady beaming at her and Penny’s gratitude, Julia didn’t know whether to grin back or hide.

“Can I?” He held out his arms for a hug, looking just as uncertain as she felt.

“Um… okay.”

Penny wrapped his arms around her, and then Kady was throwing herself against both of them, and they all hugged.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Kady said.

Penny’s face morphed into that confusion again, and he shook his head. Kady looked startled and was about to say something when Penny corrected, “Yes, sorry, I don’t mean- I’m going, I’m leaving but- I liked it here… it’s weird, a lot of conflicting shit is up here now, but- well, I’m sure of a few things.” He put an arm around Kady’s shoulders. “Let’s fucking go.”

Julia had gone in expecting to feel like a third wheel upon exit, and she had felt that was just natural. She didn’t expect to leave feeling more a part of something, something altogether human and not divine, than she had in a long long time.

**Author's Note:**

> My entry to Welters 2018 Week 1!


End file.
